Forty-nine pieces of ivory, weighing about 96 kilograms and one rhino horn, weighing about five kilograms, were hidden in luggage shipped to Ha Noi from South on Wednesday.

At present, one gram of rhino horn fetched about US$133 in black market, while elephant ivory from South Africa valued at about US$2,100 per kilogram.

Thus, the confiscated tusks were estimated to be worth more than VND10 billion (about US$460,000), according to an anti-smuggling officer.

This was the fourth seizure of smuggled ivory that had been detected in the last four months and the largest illegal shipment from abroad, Noi Bai customs authorities said adding that the case was under investigation.